Stop and rebounder for elevated carriers.



J. C. FITZGERALD. STOP AND REBOUNDER FOR ELEVATED OARRIERS.

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Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

fivenlor APPLICATION FILED mm: s, 1910.

Jremfah C 2y 'W'gfnesses.

fiaA w/ UNITED STATES PATENT FIOE.

JEREMIAH C. FITZGERALD, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 SMITH MANUFAC-TURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

STOP AND REBOUNDER FOR ELEVATED CARRIERS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH C. Frrz- GERALD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residin at De Kalb, in the county of Dekalb and btate ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stops andRebounders for Elevated Carriers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in a stop and rebounder to beused in connection with an elevated carrying apparatus, that is, anapparatus of that type in which a wheeled carrier equipped with andsupporting a car or receptacle for the material to be transferred fromone place to another, travels on an elevated track or cable, and itconsists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangementand operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter morefully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a yielding stop andrebounder for elevated carriers, which shall be automatic and efiicientin its operation, compact in form, simple and inexpensive inconstruction, strong and durable, and so made that it can be readilyapplied to the track at any desired point, or easily removed therefrom,and in such a manner as to apply the necessary resistant pressure foryieldingly stopping the carrier, as well as for rebounding or startingthe same on its return trip, in a line with the center of the wheel orwheels of the carrier.

Another object is to furnish a stop and rebounder of such construction,that when applied to the track, it will equalize the longitudinal strainof the latter, incident to the stopping of the carrier thereon, bycausing the force or power produced thereby, to be exerted inwardly fromeach end of the track, instead of, from one end thereof only, as isordinarily the case.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for the adjustmentof the parts of the device, so as to afford a less yielding stop andgreater rebounding force, the latter of which is necessary when greaterreturn speed is desired, or when an extremely long track is used, orwhen the outer portion of the track is not sufficiently elevated orinclined.

Still another object is to so construct the Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed June 6, 1910.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Serial No. 565,222.

device, that when in place on the track, the principal part of itsweight will be under the same, and the parts so arranged with respect toone another, that the buffer will at all times be held, by reason of thegravity of the other parts, in a vertical plane above the track, and sothat the resistant pressure will be applied in a horizontal line withthe center of the wheel of the carrier, which comes in contact with thestop.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in thesubjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionpertains, to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it,referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- 4 Figure 1, is a Viewin side elevation of a stop and rebounder for elevated carriers,embodying my invention; Fig. 2, is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3, is aview partly in elevation and partly in section, taken on line 33 of Fig.1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 4, is adetached perspective view of the spring-supporting members.

Like numerals of reference, refer to corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views of the drawing.

The reference numeral 7, designates a portion of an elevated track,which may be made of flexible material, such as a cable or wire, and maybe supported in the ordinary or any well known manner. Mounted on thetrack 7, at a suitable point, but usually near one of its terminals, isa clamping bracket which is indicated as a whole by the referencenumeral 8, and preferably consists of two members 9, and 10, each ofwhich is provided on its upper inner surface with a curved recess toreceive the track 7, on which said members may be securely held by meansof a bolt 1.1, extended through said members below the recesses therein,and a nut 12, on one end of said bolt.

As is shown in Figs. 1, and 3, of the drawing, the member 8, is providedwith an extension 13, which depends below the track 7, and preferablylongitiuilinally therewith for a short distance. livotally mounted onthe extension or arm 13, near its free end, is a yoke 14, or cross-bar,which is provided in its portion adjacent to the butter with a pair ofsockets 15, to receive the free ends of a bow 16, which strides thetrack 7, and is connected to the buffer or stop 17, as will be presentlyexplained. The front portion of the yoke or that part thereof, oppositefrom the buffer 17 is provided with a forwardly extended and downturnedarm 18, which preferably has in its upper portion a slot 19, to receivethe extension 13, which is secured in said slot by means of a pivot 20,extended through suitable openings in said extension and arm. The lowerportion of the arm 18, is provided with a transverse opening 21, toreceive one of the spring supporting members. Mounted on the track 7, ata suitable distance from the bracket 8, is another bracket, which isdesignated as a whole by the numeral 22, and preferably consists of twomembers 23, and 24, each of which has on its upper inner portion acurved recess to receive the track 7, on which said members are clampedby means of a bolt 11, and nut, as in the former described bracket. Themember 23, is provided in its lower portion with an opening 25, throughwhich one of the spring supporting members is extended.

As shown in Figs. 1, and 4:, each of the spring-supporting members 26,and 27, consists of a wire loop, each having at the ends of its prongs,hooks 28, to engage the ends of the spring 29, which is coiled aroundsaid members and is interposed between the hooked ends as well as thelooped ends of said members. By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen andunderstood that the member 27, engages at its looped end, the arm 18,and at its hooked end the front end of the spring 29, while the member26, engages at its looped end the member 23, of the bracket 22, and atits hooked end the rear end of the spring 29, which as before stated,surrounds said members. The buffer or stop 17, has its rear surface orthat surface thereof adjacent to the wheel 30, of the carrier, formedwith a curved or segmental recess 31, to fit the wheel or the groovetherein, and has on its lower portion two downwardly extending prongs32, which stride the track.

Journaled between the prongs 32, of the buffer 17, is an anti-frictionroller or wheel 33, which is adapted to contact with the lower surfaceof the track so as to prevent the bufier being displaced therefrom. At apoint to be in a horizontal plane with the center of the wheel 30, ofthe carrier, the buffer 17, is provided on its front surface or thatsurface thereof opposite the recess 31, with a forwardly extended arm34, which is provided with an opening on each side of the buffer andtrack for the reception and operation of the members or prongs of thebow 16, which as before stated are located in the sockets 15, of theyoke, and may be secured therein by means of a set screw 36, seated inone end of the yoke.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawing, it will be readilyunderstood and clearly seen, that when the parts are assembled andoccupy their normal positions as shown by continuous lines in Fig. .1,of the drawing, the recessed face or surface of the buffer 17, will bepresented toward the carrier in its forward progress on the track, andthat when the wheel of the carrier strikes the buffer 17, the parts willbe moved by reason of the momentum of the carrier, forwardly to aboutthe positions shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus yieldingly stoppingthe carrier. As soon as the same comes to a stop, the spring 29, willexert itself and through the instrumentality of its connections with thebuffer'l't', will cause the same to be moved rearwardly on the trackagainst the wheel of the carrier, thereby rebounding or starting thesame with the requisite amount of force to carry it back on its returntrip.

In the foregoing operation it is apparent that as the bow 16, is looselyconnected to the buffer 17, at a point to be in a horizontal line orplane with the center of the wheel 30, of the carrier, the resistantpressure will be applied at said point, both for the purpose ofretarding andfor rebounding or starting the carrier. If it is desired toincrease or diminish the tension of the spring 29, this can be done bymoving one of the brackets 8, or 22, from or toward the other, and thenfixing it in the desired place on the track, for it is evident that whenthe space between the said brackets is increased, the hooks 28, on thespring-supporting-members 26, and 27, engaging the ends of the spring29, will compress the same, thus increasing the tension of the spring,and if the distance between the brackets is shortened, the tension ofthe spring will be diminished.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters-Patent is 1. A stop and rebounder for elevatedcarriers, consisting of an elevated track, a buffer slidably mountedthereon, and equalized resilient means applied at one end to the trackand at its other end to the buffer directly in line with the center ofthe carrier wheel.

2. A stop and rebounder for elevated carriers, consisting of an elevatedtrack, a buffer slidably mounted on and above the track, and equalizedresilient means applied at one of its ends to the track and at its otherend to the buffer at a point thereon in a line with the line of pressureexerted by the carrier.

3. A stop and rebounder for elevated carriers, consisting of an elevatedtrack, a buffer slidably mounted thereon and having its contacting faceformed to fit the wheel of the carrier, and equalized resilient meansapplied at one of its ends to the track and at its other end to thebuffer at a point thereon in line with the center of the contactingWheel of the carrier.

4. A stop and rebounder for elevated carriers, consisting of an elevatedtrack, a butter slidably mounted thereon, a bracket on the track nearthe butler and having a depending extension, a yoke having a downturnedarm and pivotally secured to said extension, a bow astride the trackconnected at one of its ends to the yoke and loosely connected near itsother end to the butter, and a spring applied at one of its ends to thearm on the yoke and at its other end to the track.

5. A stop and rebounder for elevated carriers, consisting of an elevatedtrack, a bufl'er slidably mounted thereon, a bracket on the track nearthe buffer and having a depending extension, a yoke having an arm andpivotally secured to said extension, a connection secured at one of itsends to the yoke and loosely connected to the buffer, and a springapplied at one of its ends to the arm on the yoke and at its other endto the track.

6. A stop and rebounder for elevated carriers, consisting of an elevatedtrack, a butter slidably mounted thereon, a bracket on the track nearthe butter, a yoke having an arm and pivotally secured to the bracket, aconnection secured at one of its ends to the yoke and loosely connectedto the buil'er, a spring applied at one of its ends to the arm on theyoke and its other end to the track, and means to regulate the tensionof said spring.

7. A stop and rebounder for elevated carriers, consisting of an elevatedtrack, a butter slidably mounted thereon, a pair of spaced apartbrackets mounted on the track, a yoke having an arm and pivotallysecured to the bracket adjacent to the buffer, a connection secured atone of its ends to the yoke and loosely connected to the buffer, a pairof looped spring-supporting-members each having hooks at their freeends, one of said members engaging the arm 011 the yoke and the other ofsaid members engaging the outer bracket, and a spring coiled around saidmembers and interposed between the hooked ends thereof.

8. A stop and rebounder for elevated carriers, consisting of an elevatedtrack, a bufi'er slidably mounted thereon, a pair of spaced apartbrackets mounted on the track, a yoke pivotally secured to the bracketadjacent to the buffer, a bow striding the track and secured at one ofits ends to the yoke and loosely connected to the buffer, a pair oflooped supporting-members each having hooks at their free ends, one ofsaid members connected to the bracket adjacent to the buffer and theother of said members connected to the other bracket, and a coiledspring surrounding said members and interposed between and engaging thehooked ends thereof.

JEREMIAH J. FITZGERALD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. C. TILLMAN, J. E. HANSEN.

